For those that buy and sell on eBay, there are several changes coming soon. Most notable are the feedback changes.

http://pages.ebay.com/sell/update08/rewards/index.html?ov=004KO

Some of the changes are ok, but I think some of the other ones are going to cause a stir.

While I'm a buyer and not a seller, I still don't think it's fair that buyers will now only be able to receive positive feedback. So I guess for sellers, their only option is to not leave feedback at all if they have a negative or neutral transaction with a buyer.

It also sucks for people like me who use it once every few months. I ordered my wife a Pavel Datsyuk jersey T yesterday (she has no clue who the hell he is, but we're going to the Wings/Blue Jackets game February 15th and I figured she'd appreciate it) and I think that was the first thing I've bought on ebay since last August (Detroit Tigers tickets). I have maybe a dozen feedback comments is all and those stretch back to ~2002. Deleting those on me will make it look like I'm new to the game and (correct me if I'm wrong) will make me look bad to future sellers.

DarthQuack

01-29-2008, 03:02 PM

It looks like the positive feedback 12 months and older won't go towards the %, so we should still be able to retain our current number yes? ie. When I was young and an idiot I got 3 negatives back in 1999, but have had a clean record on eBay since then. So would that wipe out my negatives and give me 100%? I would like to hope so. I also don't like how just buyers will be able to receive feedback and not sellers.

Jedi_Kal-El

01-29-2008, 03:19 PM

So if you get ripped off, you can't let others know about it huh. That really sucks, and I'm glad I got the feedback off on the guy who ripped me off before they changed it all. I've noticed at times that ebay is a little more friendly to sellers than buyes. Heck the sellers that scam ppl were probably complaining to have others boycott ebay unless they made changes. All in the name of ripping ppl off. :mad:

jedi master sal

01-29-2008, 03:34 PM

There are pros and cons for being both sellers and buyers.

I think with some of these changes there is an equal amount of being "screwed over" going on, just in different areas.

I don't like the idea of losing feedback older than 12 months either. Thankfully I only have ONE negative and that was from some dirtbag seller trying to swindle me out of my money/item I paid for. He's no longer a seller. So these new policies would wipe out the negative for one of two reasons: It's older than 12 months and/or the seller is no longer a member which means their negatives are purged from the system.

That can be good AND bad.

I think it's going to make people a LOT more cautious of using eBay from now on though. Then we'll see if eBay reverts some of these policies of changes them yet again.

CaptainSolo1138

01-29-2008, 03:40 PM

I think it's going to make people a LOT more cautious of using eBay from now on though..Me for one. The first thing I look at when I'm considering buying something is the sellers number of transactions and then their feedback. If a seller has a HUGE sample size and a 95% positive feedback, I wouldn't think twice of buying from him or her. But if they've got a 95% rating and only 100 transactions in the past year, I'd find another seller. People who don't know any better are still goinig to simply look at their positive percentage, not knowing that the sample size has been decreased.

bigbarada

01-29-2008, 04:01 PM

If they are going to delete feedback that's over 12 months old, then they really should restrict sellers from deleting your bid if you have a feedback rating of 10 or less.

I can only guess that this new system is set up to "level the playing field" for new sellers. But, I think it might hurt the new sellers in the long run since they will now only have 12 months to build up a decent reputation before their feedback starts getting deleted.

Which will mean they'll be forced to sell their items at super low prices just to get a reputation, which will be good for buyers in the short term; but it will likely just cause people to abandon ebay for an auction site with less restrictive policies.

JON9000

01-29-2008, 04:01 PM

Ebay has been riddled with accusations of fraud, and in order to be viable, it needs consumer confidence desperately.

By having feedback for sellers only, Ebay is encouraging buyers to leave accurate feedback without fear of seller reprisal. It is clear Ebay considers the rip-off ball to be overwhelmingly in the sellers' court. The problem is, of course, that there are a few retards in every bunch, and buyers will complain about things like shipping and handling being too much when the auction clearly states the charges.

Let's face it, about the worst thing a buyer can do is not pay, and since the seller can recover fees and relist the item in about two seconds, it isn't that big a deal.

I don't quite know where to come down on this one. The ffedback deleting I don't understand at all! I only sell at Christmas time so that sucks.

El Chuxter

01-29-2008, 04:05 PM

I don't know how, but I'm sure this is all Slicker's Mom's fault.

plasticfetish

01-29-2008, 04:11 PM

What's her feedback rating?

jjreason

01-29-2008, 04:13 PM

It's her tossed salad rating that tells the tale. :love:

Jedi_Kal-El

01-29-2008, 04:14 PM

Me for one. The first thing I look at when I'm considering buying something is the sellers number of transactions and then their feedback. If a seller has a HUGE sample size and a 95% positive feedback, I wouldn't think twice of buying from him or her. But if they've got a 95% rating and only 100 transactions in the past year, I'd find another seller. People who don't know any better are still goinig to simply look at their positive percentage, not knowing that the sample size has been decreased.

The guy who swindled me not only had 99.9% feedback, but he had a huge number of sales, making at least 8 to 10 transactions per day. He's since been booted, becase I'm not the only one who he tried to steal from. My wife and I sell on ebay and we've only received 1 negative from some dumb Biatch who claimed the Matchbox cars we sent arrived poorly packed. I know better because I'm the one who packed it.

DarthBrandon

01-29-2008, 04:16 PM

What's her feedback rating?

Very good I hear, the best of the bunch I'm told.:D

DarthQuack

01-29-2008, 04:20 PM

Very good I hear, the best of the bunch I'm told.:D

She's always left me a satisfied customer.

Jargo

01-29-2008, 04:21 PM

Glad i've found a bunch of sellers i can trust to deliver what I buy in a timely fashion with no snarl ups. if i buy from an individual it's only going to be a piffling small item that if i get screwed over i can afford to lose the money. i'd never buy anything from a seller that was costly if I didn't have a proven catalogue of successful, stress free purchases from them prior.

apologies for my grammar here.

El Chuxter

01-29-2008, 07:37 PM

apologies for my grammar here.

Why? Did I miss something? What did she do?

darthvyn

01-29-2008, 08:23 PM

hrm... some weird decisions here. i guess the buyer only receiving positive feedback or nothing makes sense, though when i was selling a lot i could tell who was going to be a deadbeat by the amount of their negative feedback. never failed, either.

it seems like all feedback ever received still shows, but stuff older than 12 months doesn't count towards your percentage, so you can still see if they have negative feedback by browsing through older pages.

for the most part this seems like widening a rift between sellers and buyers. to me, it always seemed like there was little to no distinction - you were an ebay user and you might have sold or bought stuff in your tenure as such. now it's like you're labeled a "seller" or "buyer".

whatever, i barely ever use ebay anymore. i've got a bunch of stuff i need to sell, but i hardly have the time to breathe enough these days.

UKWildcat

01-29-2008, 08:27 PM

I think you all are misunderstanding the 12 month feedback thing. Feedback older than 12 months is not going to be "deleted", it just won't count towards your percentage.

Example: Lets say you have been an eBay member for 5 years and you have a feedback score of 300, and a percentage of 99.7% because of 1 negative feedback that was left 4 years ago. With the new system your feedback score will stay at 300, but your percentage will be 100% positive, because the 1 negative feedback occurred longer than 12 months ago.

As for sellers only being able to leave positive feedback for buyers, this is complete horsesh*t. I've had about a dozen people win auctions from me and never pay - result, they get a negative feedback, primarily to warn other sellers that the douche may not pay for the auction if they win, so the seller should be cautious. This also throws out the buyer requirement of having negative feedbacks; a lot of sellers set a buyer requirement that prevents buyers with negative feedback from bidding on their items, and rightfully so, but this precaution will now be worthless.

On a good note, they are decreasing all of their listing fees and making picture gallery free.

Kidhuman

01-29-2008, 10:11 PM

What's her feedbag rating?

Fixed it for ya.

Slicker

01-30-2008, 06:17 AM

She's always left me a satisfied customer.Ewww...that's just gross.

*JMG shouts from across the forums: "Stay on topic. :thumbsup:"*

Ummm...eBay?

2-1B

01-30-2008, 05:53 PM

Why not just allow users the ability to Tag other users with key words about their business practices ? :confused:

UKWildcat

02-07-2008, 10:56 PM

On a good note, they are decreasing all of their listing fees and making picture gallery free.

On a severely bad note [for sellers], they are increasing their final value fees and Paypal will have the option of holding onto your funds for 21 days (w/o interest mind you) before you can do anything with the money. If there is a buyer claim, then you (as a seller) may not even see the money at all. Now the buyer can win stuff, not pay, or pay and b*tch about the product they received (or say they didn't receive it) and file a claim with Paypal, who will likely side with the buyer and will refund their money, and the buyer has no negative consequences and has the product - totally dicking over the seller in the process who can stand by and do nothing.

They are totally changing eBay and Paypal in a lopsided favor for the buyer, and not the seller, which is the complete opposite of what they have done in the past (they used to protect the seller AND buyer). This is complete horsesh*t and I'm against it 100%, as I sell quite frequently on there. The new feedback system is further proof of this; sellers can only leave positive feedback and buyers can leave any feedback they want, deserving or not!

There is an eBay strike that will be happening between Feb. 18th-25th, which I will be a part of. Here is a YouTube video about it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23TomS5--nQ). There are also other related videos there too that are worth checking out.

I'm definitely going along with this strike, even past the 25th. I figure I will likely be done with eBay altogether, and I will take my business elsewhere, like Amazon. Right now I have a dozen or so items up for bid and I will list the rest of the stuff that I have been meaning to sell shortly. The changes apparently are going in effect on Feb. 20th, I believe it is, or thereabouts, so I am going to put up the rest of the stuff that I am wanting to sell in the next couple of days so it will end before then. If the changes stick after this time and I do sell a few items on eBay, I will definitely not offer Paypal as a form of payment, as I will refuse to offer it and my Paypal account will likely be closed.

I'm not sure if there are a lot of you on this site who sell frequently on eBay, but if you do, you should definitely consider other alternatives and boycott as well. Hopefully we can get these changes reversed after they go into effect. Here is a link to the eBay Pledge (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-1751-2978-71/1?AID=5463217&PID=1467700&loc=%68%74%74%70%3a%2f%2f%72%6f%76%65%72%2e%65%62% 61%79%2e%63%6f%6d%2f%72%6f%76%65%72%2f%31%2f%37%31 %31%2d%31%37%35%31%2d%32%39%37%38%2d%37%31%2f%31%3 f%41%49%44%3d%35%34%36%33%32%31%37%26%50%49%44%3d% 31%34%36%37%37%30%30%26%6c%6f%63%3d%25%36%38%25%37 %34%25%37%34%25%37%30%25%33%61%25%32%66%25%32%66%2 5%36%36%25%36%66%25%37%32%25%37%35%25%36%64%25%37% 33%25%32%65%25%36%35%25%36%32%25%36%31%25%37%39%25 %32%65%25%36%33%25%36%66%25%36%64%25%32%66%25%36%3 4%25%36%32%25%33%32%25%32%66%25%37%34%25%36%38%25% 37%32%25%36%35%25%36%31%25%36%34%25%32%65%25%36%61 %25%37%33%25%37%30%25%36%31%25%33%66%25%37%34%25%3 6%38%25%37%32%25%36%35%25%36%31%25%36%34%25%34%39% 25%34%34%25%33%64%25%33%31%25%33%30%25%33%30%25%33 %30%25%33%36%25%33%33%25%33%36%25%33%32%25%33%39%2 5%33%30%25%32%36%25%37%33%25%37%34%25%36%31%25%37% 32%25%37%34%25%33%64%25%33%30) if you are interested or want to sign it.

As for you buyers, have fun! And if you want to, screw over as many sellers as you want to while sitting back and laughing at the new system eBay has created in your favor without fearing any consequences.

Kidhuman

02-07-2008, 11:03 PM

I am happy I have been done with Ebay for along time

El Chuxter

02-07-2008, 11:19 PM

This sucks, as I was getting ready to go through my stuff and dump a large portion of it. :(

UKWildcat

02-07-2008, 11:28 PM

I am happy I have been done with Ebay for along time

I couldn't tell you the last thing I purchased on eBay. Well, other than the HD-DVD version of 300, but other than that - I haven't purchased something on eBay in forever. Strictly selling. Wish I could say I was done with it altogether... soon my friend, soon!

This sucks, as I was getting ready to go through my stuff and dump a large portion of it. :(

Better get to it Chux, put it up within the next couple of days for 5 days or a week and you should be good. Of course I know that is a lot easier said than done, if you have to go through stuff, take pictures and etc. You don't need to tell me about that as I am fully aware. Now get to it son! ;) Or I could do it for you, for a "slight" fee of course.

BTW - Sal, I've now been leaving feedback for buyers immediately after they make payment since it doesn't matter on my end either way. Hopefully no buyers will screw me over. :rolleyes:

El Chuxter

02-07-2008, 11:50 PM

Yeah, I wish I could do that. Realistically, I won't be able to do so until probably the end of the month. :(

The whole requirement to use PayPal if you have a feedback of less than 100 ('cause, face it, what new sellers will be able to accept charge cards?), and their stating they can hold your money for three weeks... that's nothing short of extortion. It's going to result in their having absolutely no new sellers.

I propose we all move any collectible-related auctioning to Zobid and support our host. (Not that I've been doing much auctioning as seller or buyer for well over a year, but I'm hoping to change that and clear out a lot of space soon.)

UKWildcat

02-07-2008, 11:58 PM

Agree 100% Chux.

There aren't many alternatives, that I know of, with exception to Amazon. Zobid has definitely been in mind, but that is mainly collectibles and I sell mostly DVDs and electronics, and not to mention Zobid's community is very very small; last I checked.

I know Google created Google Checkout a while back, which I have used on several occasions, and I thought they did this to rival Paypal, even with the hopes of creating their own Auction site. Too bad nothing more has become of this.

Kidhuman

02-08-2008, 06:09 AM

Does Yahoo still have auctions?

UKWildcat

02-15-2008, 10:54 PM

Does Yahoo still have auctions?

No, they stopped that in June of '07.

Okay, I've taken the time and I've done some math and figured the new eBay listing fee structure, and let me tell you, it sucks severely.

Here is an example:
Lets say you want to list an item for $0.99 and it ends for $20.00.

So yeah, where you would make $18.75 on the old structure, the new one you get only $18.10. Sure, you may say, that is only $0.65 per item, but lets say you list 10 items a month (that happen to end at that price): thats an extra $6.50 out of your pocket, and into eBay's. If the item ends for something higher than that, eBay takes more money have they increased all other tiers of fees. Just sh*tty.

I love it how they have Lower Fee! bold and italicized, as if the seller is actually benefiting. lol. F'ing hilarious.

*lowers pants*
eBay, I present to you my **** - NOW SUCK IT!

I urge everyone to stop using eBay, if not forever, at least through Feb. 18th-25th during the Boycott. Unless the asinine restructuring of fees and insane policy changes stops, not to mention the deception, I will no longer use eBay, at all!

UKWildcat

05-19-2008, 12:43 PM

On a positive note:

eBay's Feedback changes went into effect and my percentage is now at 100%!!!

On a negative note:

eBay's Feedback changes went into effect and buyers can longer receive negative or neutral feedback!!!

Important changes to Feedback
Buyers, you can no longer receive negative or neutral Feedback from sellers.

You should leave honest and accurate Feedback without the fear of receiving negative or neutral ratings.

How can you leave "honest and accurate" feedback for a buyer who does not pay for an item, if you can't leave them negative or neutral feedback?

Blue2th

05-19-2008, 01:13 PM

Yeah we'll see how these changes work. I don't know but it seems like when I do a search for items that I have been interested in buying for a long time, or items that I've had forever which I could possibly sell, it seems there are less of what you want than before. Could it be the time of the year? Or sellers don't want to sell as much because of the new feedback system geared towards buyers?

I've been a member of eBay since 1999, and have a feedback rating of over 800, with 100% positive. Though I would say that more than half are as a buyer.

I have sold some things recently from my Star Wars collection that I have two of (I quit being a completist because it's just too expensive)
I just started selling internationally, where people have plenty of money and they go nuts on bidding it seems, but the drawback there is you get alot of flakes who have a different take on paying on time. I've had to file at least 3 non-paying bidders on international buyers. I feel that the ending price on some items is worth it.
I gave a guy from Great Britain a month to pay, because he said he had some mix-up with his CC and had to get it fixed before he could pay. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and waited because he had 100% positives, and especially because the ending price was way beyond what I expected.

The non-paying bidder system works without leaving negative feedback (which btw I think I have only left one in my lifetime I do believe) but I think that buyers are going to take advantage of sellers now in a more extortive way, so I think it has made me a little gun shy about selling anything recently. I don't want to tarnish my sterling record with possible flaky buyer, because I have always bent over backwards for buyers, even given full refunds and paid for return shipping if not satisfied.

Jargo

05-19-2008, 04:00 PM

it'll end up as a place where only people who sell massive amounts of the same thing will be happy. and a lot of people who just accept the changes. new sellers won't necessarily know the price structure history so it won't occur to them that it's an iffy policy.
i've noticed a lot of sellers adding immediate payment requirements to listings. i guess that's fair given feedback restrictions. i always pay immediately anyway. i've been shafted three times by bad sellers where the goods didn't appear. the new system works for me.

Blue2th

05-19-2008, 05:33 PM

Yup as a buyer mostly, I've been given the shaft quite a few times.
I remember buying a 600.00 Canon Digital camera, kept waiting and waiting. Finally got an e-mail from another buyer, who asked me if I got my camera. Turned out it was a scam, the guy was in Russia and bouncing his account from somewhere in Florida.
This guy received close to twenty negatives before eBay was on to him and shut him down. Not before I'm sure he got alot of money.
Luckily I was insured by PayPal and got my money back, but it took a while so I had to wait to buy a camera.

Now as a seller, If I never receive payment, I just file a non-paying bidder and get my fees back. I have never left a negative for any buyers no matter how mad I might get. I figured eBay takes care of it, and the only thing I'm out of is my time.
So now I almost feel punished for being a nice guy seller.
I don't mind them changing things around because there are alot of flaky sellers, but us nice guy sellers need protection too.
I guess I'll just have to rely on my reputation and continue to accomidate the buyers. I just fear the one that no matter what you do you cannot please them.
eBay does have the 3 day cooling off period till a buyer leaves a negative which I don't think is long enough. How can the seller under usual circumstances get the item to the buyer that fast?

I'm not totally against this new system, but perhaps it needs a little tweaking.

DarthQuack

05-20-2008, 10:38 AM

I just looked at my feedback this morning, and it's at 231 at 100%. I had 3 negatives from back in 1999 when I was young and an idiot, so that was nice to see vanish on my end....as for the other changes we'll see what happens.

Blue2th

05-20-2008, 06:33 PM

My feed back jumped today when I looked at it again from 800 something to 936.
I was reading the forums on ebay community, people are up in arms.
Some think ebay is trying to purge the seller community. I for one think that I'm not going to be selling anything there for a while till this lopsided thing gets worked out.
I know that I won't be leaving any feedback for anyone till I get it from them. Got a few stragglers, like the guy in England.

Anyone know of any other good auction sites?

jedi master sal

05-21-2008, 09:45 AM

What I've been seeing a lot of is "eBay note" on things I'm watching. I can't click on that, so I have no idea what the note is all about.

Anyone else seeing these and if so, have you been able to see what the note is all about?

UKWildcat

09-17-2008, 06:52 PM

Here are some more updates:

Checks and money orders no longer allowed

What's changing with payments on eBay?
Beginning in late October 2008, checks and money orders will no longer be allowed as payment methods on eBay. All items appearing on eBay.com must be paid for using either:

In January 2009, all of the approved electronic payment methods will be integrated into eBay checkout. For example, if a seller offers credit or debit card as a payment option, buyers will be able to directly enter their credit card information securely in eBay checkout and their payment will be directly routed to the seller's Internet merchant account.

We are also working with other electronic payment providers currently included in our Accepted Payments Policy to integrate their services into eBay checkout in 2009.

Limits on shipping and handling charges in some categories

What are maximum shipping and handling charges?
In Books, Movies & DVDs, Music, and Video Games eBay will be enforcing limits on what sellers can charge for shipping and handling. For specific information by category see Maximum Shipping Costs (http://pages.ebay.com/sell/August2008Update/MaxShipping).

Why are you establishing maximum shipping and handling costs?
Buyers have told us that shipping costs on eBay are too high, and this is causing them to make their purchases elsewhere. This is hurting both our sellers and our buyers. Setting maximum shipping and handling costs based on historical date of what buyers have told us is reasonable will keep more buyers satisfied and drive more sales for sellers.

Why were these categories selected?
We are starting with categories where we believe buyer expectations are particularly heightened to free and reasonable shipping. Our goal over time is to bring reasonable shipping limits to more categories.

How did eBay determine the maximum shipping and handling costs for a category?
We based our maximum shipping & handling costs on recent transaction data of what sellers are charging and what buyers have told us is reasonable.

Do the maximum shipping costs include handling costs?
Yes. Handling costs are included in the maximum amounts.

Why are you setting limits on shipping charges lower than my actual costs to ship?
We based our maximum shipping & handling charges on recent transaction data of what sellers are charging and what buyers have told us is reasonable. We know that what buyers consider to be reasonable will be less than sellers' actual costs in some cases. We believe that by offering buyers at least one shipping option that they deem reasonable, sellers will increase their overall sales and conversion.

Are there shipping cost limits for international shipping services or expedited shipping?
No. Maximum shipping and handling costs apply only to the first flat rate shipping service to the U.S.

What can I do if the maximum shipping and handling costs do not cover my expenses for packaging and shipping?
The maximum shipping and handling cost may not cover sellers' shipping costs in some cases. In the event that it does not, you can do one of the following:

When selling a bundle or quantity of items, you can use the shipping calculator to charge actual shipping charges.
When selling via fixed price, include all or part of the shipping cost in the item price.
When selling via auction:

Continue to list your item with the same start price and a shipping price at or below the maximum shipping cost. Many of our sellers have success with auctions, even at free shipping, because their item looks more competitive to their buyers.
If your actual shipping costs are higher than the maximum shipping & handling cost, start the item price higher to cover your shipping cost. This technique will minimize risk that you will lose money on shipping.
Move your item to fixed price and include all or part of the shipping cost in the item price.
If you are selling a bundle or quantity of items, you can use the shipping calculator to charge actual shipping charges

Needless to say, these changes are complete and utter bull****.

The maximum shipping / handling charges are ridiculous. $3.00 for a dvd? Yeah, that is going to cover box sets and multi-discs packages. :rolleyes: That means everything will be shipped slowass media mail and buyers will complain because it takes 2+ weeks for them to get their product.

No checks / money orders? Oh, so that basically means you have to pay with Paypal so eBay gets more money. :rolleyes:

I'm officially done with eBay. I put up with the previous changes, but they have gone too far. Amazon Marketplace, here I come. :thumbsup:

jedi master sal

09-18-2008, 10:29 AM

Well, I don't use eBay anywhere near as much as I used to.

As I'm a buyer, I'd say these changes "may" make it easier for me.

However, what I now see is some sellers no longer combining shipping. In that respect they'll get the maximum they can for auctions. Though if they try to combine auctions in one package that they've charge individual shipping for, then they can get into a bit of trouble.

I agree that by making Paypal the default paying option, eBay is monopolizing payment options and in my view DOUBLE DIPPING. Paying by Paypal should now become an extension of eBay, rather than a seperate entity with regards to sellers paying fees. I'm not sure, but this may be an anti-trust issue. (Or some other legal jargon...)

I do like the limits on shipping, but there is going to be backlash by many sellers on this point.

bigbarada

09-18-2008, 10:53 AM

Well, I don't use eBay anywhere near as much as I used to.

As I'm a buyer, I'd say these changes "may" make it easier for me.

However, what I now see is some sellers no longer combining shipping. In that respect they'll get the maximum they can for auctions. Though if they try to combine auctions in one package that they've charge individual shipping for, then they can get into a bit of trouble.

I agree that by making Paypal the default paying option, eBay is monopolizing payment options and in my view DOUBLE DIPPING. Paying by Paypal should now become an extension of eBay, rather than a seperate entity with regards to sellers paying fees. I'm not sure, but this may be an anti-trust issue. (Or some other legal jargon...)

I do like the limits on shipping, but there is going to be backlash by many sellers on this point.

I'm not sure how well Ebay is enforcing the no money order policy, because I've been able to accept money orders on three of my auctions in the last week.